Cakes For Diabetics

“The myth that people with diabetes should not eat any sugar still persists but the truth is that people with diabetes can eat sugar,” say the experts at Diabetes UK. In other words, whether you’re catering for a diabetic friend or you’ve just been diagnosed, you can continue to enjoy all your favourite cakes. However, maintaining a regular eating pattern and a balanced diet are important to the management of the condition. Here are some tips on reducing fat and sugar in your baking.
Cutting Back
Contrary to popular opinion, being diabetic doesn’t mean sugar is a no-no; simply that a well-balanced diet becomes more important. Today, management of blood sugar is easier and more accurate, so most diabetics continue to enjoy everything they like – in moderation. This often involves reducing the sugar or fat in meals and treating cake as an occasional indulgence. But if you’re baking for a diabetic friend or relative, you shouldn’t be shy to offer them a slice of freshly-baked cake or a tasty cupcake.Breadmaker Citrus Tea-Loaf
Make this fragrant Tea-bread in a bread machine, then slice and serve with butter at tea-time. Perfect with a steaming cup of Green Tea!Ingredients:
- 1.5tsp dried yeast
- 450g (1lb) strong white bread flour
- Pinch salt
- 1tsp Mixed Spice
- 3tbsp brown sugar
- 2tbsp margarine
- Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon and 2 oranges
- 1 cup brewed tea (hot)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 450g (1lb) dried fruit – choose a combination of chopped dates, sultanas, raisins, dried banana, ready-to-eat apricots, etc.
To Make:
- Put the yeast, flour, salt, spice and sugar into the bread pan (in that order).
- Squeeze the lemon and orange juice into a measuring jug and make up to 250ml with hot tea. Tip half of the liquid into the dry ingredients, then melt the margarine in the remaining liquid, stirring until it starts to dissolve, and add it all to the bread pan.
- Finally, beat an egg and add it to the pan – without stirring.
- If your machine doesn’t have a ‘raisin’ setting, add the dried fruit at this point. Now put the pan into your breadmaker and set to ‘cake’ or ‘basic’. (If you have a ‘raisin’ setting, choose this, and add the dried fruit when prompted.)
Low-Fat Cheesecake
With almonds in place of biscuits, low-fat margarine to bind, and half-fat cream cheese, this Cheesecake is half as wicked as regular cheesecake – and tastes every bit as good. Make it with orange or lemon, or a mixture of both.Ingredients:
- 50g (2oz) digestive biscuits, whizzed to crumbs
- 50g (2oz) ground almonds
- 25g (1oz) margarine
- 450g (1lb) (two boxes) half-fat cream cheese
- 150g (5oz) caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- Zest of one lemon or orange
- 1tbsp lemon/orange juice
- 75ml (3floz) crème fraiche
To Make:
- Crush the biscuits and almonds in a plastic bag, or using a food processor.
- Melt the margarine and stir it into the biscuits, then press this into an 8” round tin, wrap bottom of the tin in foil, and put into the freezer.
- For the cheesecake, blend the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, zest, lemon or orange juice, and crème fraiche with an electric whisk or in a processor. It will look sloppy but that's good -- pour onto the biscuit base and carefully slide onto the middle oven shelf.
- Bake at 140ºC (275 F) for 40 minutes – 1 hour, checking often - the centre will be wobbly but just set.
- Cool in the tin - it will firm more as it cools. Dust with icing sugar or frosted rosemary and serve in delicate slices.
Lower-Fat Sponge With Honey
Honey is a good natural substitute for sugar, bringing a floral sweetness to your baking. Try swapping it for some of the sugar in other favourite recipes, reducing the margarine a little to adjust for the syrupy consistency of the honey.Ingredients:
- 200g (7oz) self raising flour, sieved
- 1tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp runny honey
- 150g (5oz) margarine
- 75g (3oz) unrefined caster sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1-2 tbsp milk
To Make:
- If you’d prefer to make this in a food processor, blend everything following the all-in-one method, until a smooth batter is achieved.
- Otherwise, cream the margarine with the sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the honey and eggs and beat vigorously to mix.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl, and fold together gently.
- Finally add the milk a little at a time to achieve a dropping consistency.
- Tip into a greased and papered 8” tin, and bake at 180ºC for about 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Special Cakes
For any other special dietary requirements, visit our Special Diet section where there are recipes for Gluten-Free Cakes, Dairy-Free Cakes and Egg-Free Cakes.
CAKE BAKER IS FOR SALE:
This website is for sale [more info].
You might also like...
What is the nutritional info on these recipes? My 5 year old son is a type 1 diabetic and need to know the carbs.
Hels Angels Cakes - 30-Sep-12 @ 8:02 PM
Is it possible to use candarell or any other sweetner in a victoria sponge rather than caster sugar?my sister is a diabetic
dot - 6-Sep-12 @ 12:28 PM
Re: Great Gran's Christmas Cake and Nan's Chocolate Cake
Lovely Christmas cake recipe. Lovely site, thank you.
Re: Health and Hygiene for a Cake Baking Business
Hi. I’ve had my own home baking business for nearly a year now and I’m planning to open my own shop. Split…
Re: The Cake Industry: the Importance of Market Research
I want ti open a cake shop, I want to know more about the cake business and how to run a shop
Re: How To Freeze Cakes
I'd really like to know please, whether uncooked fruit-cake mix can be frozen? I'm not talking about a rich Christmas cake, rather an everyday…
Re: CakeOmeter: Convert Baking Tin Sizes
Please show the converter for multiple tins. I'm trying to convert a 10cm tin recipe into 2x 20cm tins and there's no…
Re: The CakeUlator Cake Costing App
App still not available on the App Store Uk
Re: The CakeUlator Cake Costing App
The app is still not available on google play!
Re: CakeOmeter: Convert Baking Tin Sizes
I’ve put my cake details in but it’s not bringing up the conversions .. what am I doing wrong ?
Re: Baking The Perfect Christmas Cake
how long should i bake it for if i halve the ingredients - i just want to make a 4 x 2 inch cake?
Re: CakeOmeter: Convert Baking Tin Sizes
I love your CakeOmeter and have tried using it some. One thing you have left out is the number of pans used in the old…